Future of Exeter’s Pickpocket Dam

The town’s decision to pursue a grant for the removal of the scenic Pickpocket Dam on the Exeter River has some residents who live near it upset.

In 2018, the Pickpocket Dam, located by Cross Road and Stoney Water Road, was classified as a ‘high hazard’ dam by the state’s Department of Environmental Services.

The reclassification was the outcome of a study that predicted ‘a dam breach during the 100-year flood event would result in flooding in at least one residential building,’ according to a report.

Since then, the town has concluded multiple studies, which include potential dam modifications, or dam removal as one of the options.